Election 2010: They want your vote

In the run-up to the General Election each of the five main political parties has told Disability Now why we, as disabled people, should vote for them

Conservative Party

Conservatives believe that to have a disability should not be a barrier to anyone fulfilling their aspirations. But disabled people today still face unacceptable barriers in many areas of their lives which hold them back from living independently.
It is our job to break down these barriers and ensure that disabled people have the same chance to succeed and to fully participate in our society. That is why the Conservative Party is committed to making the changes to our welfare system so that disabled people who are out of work but able to work get the proper help and support to move into employment.

We want to see a more personalised social care system so that disabled people can take charge of their own lives and design their own services according to their needs.

We will simplify the benefit system to ensure that it provides better support to those who need it most, and helps people to move into work, rather than being forced to stay on benefits.

Green Party

The Green Party would rather tax the rich much more to cut their excess wealth and pay back national debt than cut the benefits and care services for those too disabled or sick to work.

We would spend public money on making a million “green jobs”, for example: preparing empty homes for people to live in them; insulating poor people's homes to cut their fuel bills; building more trains, trams and buses, and making public transport more accessible; and growing more food.

We would also introduce citizens’ pensions at £170 a week and carers’ core income at £80 a week; work towards introducing non-means-tested citizens’ income; repeal the Welfare Reform Act 2009; stop the creeping privatisation of the NHS and other vital services; end student tuition fees; withdraw from Afghanistan; scrap ID cards scheme; take firmer action against disability hate crime; and promote equality training for all public sector workers.

Labour Party

Labour is determined that the UK should always be a world leader in disability rights and we have legislated to provide protection against discrimination at work, while also offering new support for people into work.

We will always seek to strengthen the rights of disabled people to access services, work and be supported to make the choices they want to make in their own lives.

Our measures include bringing forward part of next year's increase to be able to raise Disability Living Allowance above inflation this year; and from April 2011 we will extend the higher rate mobility component of DLA to over 20,000 severely visually impaired people.

We are introducing “The Right to Control”, a legislative right for disabled people to give them greater choice and control over some of the funding they receive from the state. And from April 2010, there will be additional annual payments of £100 into the Child Trust Fund accounts of disabled children.

Severely disabled children will receive £200 per year. We are further strengthening disability discrimination legislation through the Equality Act.

Liberal Democrats

For the Liberal Democrats this election is about one thing: fairness. In a fair Britain, a person will never have to do without the basics – like heating they can afford, or public trans­port they can rely on – because of their disabilities. We’ll extend the Winter Fuel Payment so up to one million people with severe disabilities get an extra £250 towards their bills, and we’ll put thousands of new, accessible buses on our roads through a bus scrappage scheme.

In a fair Britain, we’ll make sure children with disabilities get more support at school and adults with disabilities get more practical help at work. We’ll reform the Access to Work scheme to allow jobseekers to apply for the grant while they are looking for a job. We’ll integrate health and social care so they work better. And we’ll get politics out of the debate on social care so we can find the answer to Britain’s social care needs.

UK Independence

UKIP, the United Kingdom Independence Party, seeks the fulfilment of individual potential, regardless of background or circumstances.

For those of school age, UKIP will ensure that education is tailored to the needs of each pupil, with tests used to assess both academic and vocational aptitudes.

The party will also re-examine the way disabled pupils are integrated into often inappropriate schools and do all it can to promote and support special schools for children who have disabilities.

On the benefits front, UKIP will act to safeguard the disability living allowance, the attendance allowance and the mobility allowance.

And regarding taxes, the Party will scrap all tax on earnings below £11,500, so that people find themselves in a position to take temporary work without their being penalized financially.